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Dear Colleagues,
As we head into the holiday season, we want to take a moment to thank you for your steadfast pursuit of knowledge and understanding, your collaboration, and for being outstanding colleagues who make UCSF a great place to do research.
We are pleased that the most recent disruption to our research funding — the federal government shutdown — has come to an end. At the same time, we acknowledge and anticipate that going into 2026, delays and prior cancellations of study section and council meetings are going to lead to significant challenges for investigators and our research teams. More specifics beyond the initial NIH communication regarding what to expect and our response should be forthcoming from the federal government and the UCSF Office of Research.
In this month’s edition, we highlight a few upcoming events and funding opportunities. As always, we also celebrate our colleagues’ recent research successes! Please note that the research newsletter will take a brief hiatus in December and will resume in January. We encourage you to continue sharing your accomplishments during this time so we can feature them when we return.
Wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving!
All the best,
Diane and David
Diane Havlir, MD
Associate Chair for Clinical Research
David Erle, MD
Associate Chair for Biomedical Research
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Julia Carnevale, MD, Assistant Professor in the Division of Hematology and Oncology at UCSF Health, received an NIH Director's New Innovator Award for her work on Immune cell engineering. The last decade has seen incredible advances in fighting cancer with CAR-T therapies, a type of immunotherapy that uses a patient’s own T cells to kill attack their cancer. However, T cell therapies have struggled as monotherapies against solid tumors so far. Dr. Carnevale envisions harnessing cells from the other part of the immune system, the innate immune system, which can help provoke new immune responses from T cells in the body. Dr. Carnevale envisions harnessing both the adaptive and the innate immune systems together to fight against solid tumors. She has developed new tools to reprogram human innate immune cells called myeloid cells to enable them to go after tumor cells — and recruit T cells to help with the fight.
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 | | Rachel Rutishauser, MD, PhD, Associate Professor in the Division of Experimental Medicine at ZSFG, received an amfAR Target Grant. Co-PIs Drs. Rutishauser and Brad Jones from Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, along with co-investigators Drs. Justin Eyquem, Alexander Marson, and Steven Deeks from the Department of Medicine at UCSF will employ an immunotherapy typically used to treat certain blood cancers and being studied for the treatment of solid tumors and autoimmune disorders—CAR T cell therapy—to target HIV. Typically, this therapy requires collecting cells from a person’s body, genetically modifying them to recognize and target disease cells, and reinfusing them into the body. Instead, the researchers plan to reprogram the cells inside the body, using a novel delivery system developed by Dr. Eyquem and collaborators. They will use a new type of engineered T cell called TRAC-HIT, which they have shown can recognize and kill HIV-infected cells far more effectively than previous CAR T cell approaches.
| | We’re excited to celebrate the accomplishments of our faculty. If you know of recent awards, honors, or recognitions that we should highlight in future newsletters, please share them with Ilona Paredes—we’d love to spread the word! | | First-time R01s or Equivalent Awards | | Career Development Awards | | Please let Ilona Paredes know if we inadvertently missed your K award, first R01, or equivalent award in this issue of the newsletter. We will make sure to feature your award in our next issue. | | DOM Spotlight Feature: Michelle Nakphong | | |
Diversifying funding sources is increasingly important for driving innovative research and addressing urgent health and social challenges. Last month, we featured Dr. Jennifer Rosenbluth, who shared insights into securing support from the V Foundation for cancer research. Building on the theme of exploring non-federal funding opportunities, this month we highlight Dr. Michelle Nakphong, Assistant Professor in the Division of Prevention Science, who recently received funding from the William T. Grant Foundation for her project, entitled “Understanding the longitudinal impact of guaranteed income on the housing stability of low-income Black emerging adults.” In this interview, Dr. Nakphong discusses the importance of pursuing non-federal funding, the nuances of the William T. Grant Foundation’s review process, and how this support is advancing her team’s research on the lasting impacts of guaranteed income interventions.
Can you tell us briefly about the William T. Grant Foundation and how you first learned about this funding opportunity? The William T. Grant (WTG) Foundation supports research focused on reducing inequality in youth outcomes and improving the use of research evidence in decision-making. I heard about the William T. Grant Foundation from a mentor who was supported by their Scholars Program.
Please describe the project very briefly and explain why it is a good fit for this funding mechanism.
Our team is evaluating a guaranteed income trial on the well-being of low-income Black young adults. At the same time, housing challenges (homelessness, overcrowding, eviction) have emerged as a really important issue disproportionately experienced by Black young adults—at baseline, 28% of participants reported experiencing homelessness in the prior year. We thought this funding opportunity would allow us to follow-up on participants' housing trajectories and study the potential lasting impacts of the intervention after the trial period.
How did the application and review process differ from the process for NIH awards?
WTG initially accepts letters of intent for proposed projects. For their smaller Officer’s Grants (which provide smaller pilot funding of $50K), the LOI serves as the full application and decisions are made within a few months. For their major research grants, they will invite some applicants to submit full applications 6-8 months after the LOI is submitted. Proposals will also typically require revision and resubmission so the whole process can take up to 1.5 years.
What advice would you give to other investigators who are considering pursuing non-federal funding opportunities?
Ask broadly about non-federal funding opportunities - I was surprised at how many I had not heard of! Once you have identified funders you want to try for, acquire as much information about the foundation/funder and their investment priorities as you can: What have they funded? Do they have a theoretical or methodological bent? What types of deliverables do they expect (scientific products, policy action, etc.)?
| | Research Support Programs | | |
PRE-Proposal Application REview (PREPARE) Program
Get expert NIH-style feedback on your R, K, and U proposals with the PREPARE Program, which provides free, high-quality application review services to help you strengthen your submission and achieve your funding goals.
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November Writing Focused Work Café
Friday, November 21
The UCSF CAPS Developmental Core will be hosting a Writing and Focused Work Café. The CAPS Writing Café is open to all researchers, regardless of their area of focus, and is not limited to those conducting research related to AIDS.
Faculty, trainees, and staff from any university are invited to join on Friday, November 21, 2025, from 11 AM-2 PM. A Zoom link will be provided to those who RSVP.
Please bring a work-related project you need to complete. We will briefly share what our goals are for this time and then follow the Pomodoro technique to keep us focused by working in intervals for a total of three hours with short and small breaks in between.
Please RSVP to Mireya Avila if you would like to attend.
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Nina Ireland Program for Lung Health: Call for Innovative Grant Applications
Applications are due by Friday, November 21
The NIPLH is seeking proposals for innovative projects in research, clinical program development, medical education, and quality improvement/patient safety in Pulmonary medicine. Proposals with the greatest potential for impact will be funded
In addition to high-quality science and innovative approaches, other key components of impact include projects likely to lead to extramural funding for which there is no alternative source of seed funding available. The 2026 Request for Applications (RFA) welcomes proposals on any topic in Pulmonary medicine; however, projects related to the underserved and health disparities, locally and globally, will merit special consideration.
Eligibility: Assistant Professors, fellows in training (ACGME year 3 or higher), and postdoctoral fellows in year 3 or higher of research training from any division, Department, or School at UCSF are eligible to apply.
Applications are due by Friday, November 21, 2025.
For questions regarding this application, please contact Matthew Lau.
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Chen Scholars: Call for Proposal for awards in Artificial Intelligence or Neuroscience (2026)
Applications are due by Friday, December 5
The Chen Scholars program is open to all junior- and mid-career UCSF clinical-scientists, with awards made in two areas: Neuroscience and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to advance medicine. Awards will be made to each area, and they do not necessarily need to include elements of both neuroscience and AI. Over the life of the program, ten junior faculty clinical-scientists will be awarded up to $135,000 ($67,500 per year for two years) and seven mid-career clinical-scientists will be awarded up to $450,000 ($90,000 per year for five years).
Proposals are due by Friday, December 5, 2025.
For questions, please contact the National and International Awards and Prizes Manager, Carolyn Remick.
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School of Medicine Bridge Funding
Applications are due by Friday, December 5
The UCSF School of Medicine is inviting full-time faculty in the School of Medicine to apply for the 2026 Winter Cycle of Bridge Funding. The Bridge Funding program provides up to 12 months of support for full-time faculty members, with independent research programs, who are experiencing a temporary loss of significant funding.
The program is intended to support applicants who face a funding gap between two extramural research grants (usually R01 or equivalent). Typically, applicants have been unsuccessful in a recent attempt to renew or replace a federal grant but are likely to be funded upon submission of a revised application, based on scores and reviewers’ comments.
Applicants must demonstrate that their research program is jeopardized due to lack of extramural funding, that they have one or more rounds of well-scored but unfunded federal applications, and that they will have exhausted all available discretionary or start-up funds within one year of applying for bridge funding.
The application deadline is Friday, December 5, 2025.
For questions, please contact SOMbridgefunding@ucsf.edu.
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UC Noyce Initiative
Applications are due by Friday, December 19
The UC Noyce Initiative is pleased to announce that its Computational Health request for proposals (RFP) is now open to researchers and faculty at participating UC campuses: Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, San Francisco, and Santa Barbara.
Overview
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Focus: Computational Health: Multi-scale integration for the use of data, models, and methods that bridge:
- Genomic ↔ Transcriptomic ↔ Proteomic layers
- Single-cell ↔ Tissue-level ↔ Organism-wide observations
- Biological ↔ Behavioral ↔ Environmental influences
- Mechanistic data ↔ Clinical phenotypes ↔ Real-world outcomes
Eligible applicants must hold PI status at one of the five UC Noyce Initiative campuses, and proposals must involve a multi-campus team that includes at least three of these campuses. Awards will provide up to $400,000 for projects involving three campuses and up to $600,000 for teams spanning four or five campuses. The project period is one year.
- Key dates:
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Funding Announcement: November 3, 2025
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Application Deadline: December 19, 2025
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Announcement of Awards: April 2026
How to Apply
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Arc Institute: 2026 Science Fellow Open Call
Applications are due by Monday, January 12
The Arc Institute has launched an open call for a Science Fellow to join Arc in 2026 — an opportunity for outstanding early-career scientists to transition directly from doctoral training to an independent principal investigator role.
To accelerate independent careers, this program provides Arc Fellows with leadership training, a full salary, and research support for their group. Fellows will be appointed for a five-year term, with a formal check-in after three years, and will lead independent groups pursuing innovative technologies, originality, and risk that are unlikely to be supported by traditional funding sources.
Arc welcomes applicants in chemical biology, human genetics, immunology, neurobiology, or technology development focused on complex human disease. Eligible applicants should have completed, or expect to complete, their graduate training (e.g., PhD, MD, MD/PhD) between spring 2024 and summer 2026.
To receive updates when new calls for applications to their Investigator Programs open, please share your contact information here.
Applications received by Monday, January 12, 2026, will receive full consideration. Read more here.
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Department of Medicine Promotion to Associate Professor for Researchers Town Hall
The UCSF Department of Medicine along with Associate Chair for Mentorship and Development, Lekshmi Santhosh, MD, MA, and Associate Chair for Faculty Experience, Urmimala Sarkar, MD, MPH, are hosting a Town Hall on Promotion to Associate Professor for Researchers. The event will take place on Monday, December 1, 2025, from 12 PM-1 PM. The session will provide an overview of the promotions process and answer questions for researchers.
For additional details, please visit the DOM Mentorship website.
Event Details:
In-person location: 505 Parnassus Avenue, Moffitt Hospital, Room M1296 (12th Floor)
Virtual Option (Zoom):
Zoom webinar link, Meeting ID: 921 8484 2327, Password: 057575
For questions, please contact Samantha Santiago.
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History in the Making: ZSFG and the Ongoing Fight against HIV
An ARI/CFAR World AIDS Day Special Event
Please join us on Monday, December 1, 2025, from 3:30 PM-5:00 PM, at Carr Auditorium, ZSFG Building 3 (22nd Street), and on Zoom (link provided to registrants), for a special World AIDS Day event highlighting and celebrating the scientific advances led by UCSF researchers in partnership with our city.
Our research has and continues to transform care for HIV for over 40 years, both locally and globally. The event will feature a keynote talk from Dr. Diane Havlir (Director, ARI and Professor of Medicine, UCSF- ZSFG) on the pioneering history of HIV research at Zuckerberg San Francisco General and the ongoing pursuit of scientific innovation and progress ending AIDS worldwide.
We will also hear from several city officials, a long-term survivor with HIV, and Dr. Paul Volberding will moderate a panel with Drs. Steven Deeks, Monica Gandhi, Peter Hunt, and Annie Luetkemeyer on upcoming breakthroughs. The event will be followed by a networking reception. See flyer here.
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Matchmaking Event to Connect Hiring Faculty with Postbaccalaureate Scholars
National PROPEL will be hosting a Matchmaking Event on Thursday, January 30, 2026, from 9 AM-1 PM. This event is a virtual hiring mixer attracting scholars from across the nation. If you plan to hire a junior specialist or a staff research associate next spring or summer, this is an excellent opportunity to meet talented young scientists.
At the event, you’ll have an opportunity to meet trainees at the postbaccalaureate stage who are interested in pursuing a career in research via a series of 10-minute interviews. In addition, trainees who come to UCSF through this mechanism can apply to participate in PROPEL, which is a UCSF postbaccalaureate program that augments the research experience they gain in your lab with scientific and career training, helping them become competitive applicants to top-tier research-based PhD programs.
Register by Friday, December 5, 2025.
For questions, please contact propel@ucsf.edu.
| | If you'd like to contribute to future newsletters, please send your items to Ilona Paredes. | | Informational Resources for the Research Community | | |
Copyright © 2025, University of California, San Francisco, All rights reserved.
Please send comments, suggestions, and questions to:
diane.havlir@ucsf.edu and david.erle@ucsf.edu
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